Spain: Mercadona will no longer provide plastic bags to customers
Supermarket chain Mercadona has announced the withdrawal of plastic bags both in physical stores and in home and online service. This comes as part of its 6.25 Strategy, and means that compostable bags made using potato starch will be available for purchases in all store sections.
Source: euroweeklynews.com
China: Yonghui opens 37 new stores
The retailer has opened 34 new supermarkets in December and an additional 3 in January, bringing its total store network to 1,022. As one of the fastest growing grocery retailers in China, Yonghui is regarded by many as a regional operator. Founded in Fujian in 2001, it entered Chongqing in 2004 and then Beijing in 2009.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
UK: Lidl crowned supermarket of the year
Lidl GB has been named Supermarket of the Year at the 2020 Retail Industry Awards, beating like of Iceland, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and main rival Aldi. Judges praised Lidl’s continued drive to provide affordable fresh produce to families across Britain and encouraging children to eat healthy food, while also championing its networks of suppliers.
Source: retailgazette.co.uk
Holland: Albert Heijn halves CO2 emissions, switches to 100% wind energy
Dutch retailer Albert Heijn has announced that it has cut CO2 emissions by 50% since 2008. Since 1 January 2021, the company has switched entirely to electricity generated from Dutch wind farms. The retailer aims to achieve its climate goals through these initiatives. Over the coming years, it aims to work with suppliers, farmers and fruit and vegetable growers to reduce CO2 emissions in the production chain.
Source: esmmagazine.com
France: Leclerc generated 2024’s online sales in 2020
Leclerc’s president, Michel Edouard Leclerc, has discussed how the retailer’s online operations generated the sales it was forecast to in 2024 in 2020, following the impact of COVID-19 and shoppers’ changing buying behaviours. Leclerc said the retailer’s Drives saw sales growth of 42% in 2020, which helped to offset the challenges faced by its large hypermarkets, especially those in shopping centres, which were affected by lockdown restrictions. He also noted the innovation implemented by its store owners across all digital channels, including Drives, Pedestrian Drives, home delivery and click & collect.
Source: retailanalysis.igd.com
UK: Poundland owner Pepco Group's Christmas quarter sales dented by COVID
Pepco Group, the owner of British discount retailer Poundland, said same store sales fell 2.1% in its Christmas quarter, impacted by closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The retailer, which also owns the PEPCO and Dealz brands in Europe, said trading stores - stores that were open for the full duration of any week in the quarter to end-December - delivered like-for-like sales growth of 5.5%.
Source: reuters.com
Lidl to hand out £200 'thank you' bonuses to UK warehouse staff, customer assistants, cleaners and other key workers
Lidl will hand out a one-off bonus of £200 to its supermarkets staff, cleaners, warehouse staff and customer assistants as a 'thank you' for their hard work during the pandemic. The German discounter, which employs a total of over 25,000 people in the UK, said its 1,800 office-based employees will also receive a £100 bonus. With 800 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales, Lidl said the move will cost it £5.5mln.
Source: thisismoney.co.uk
eBay most sustainable marketplace, bol.com is European front runner
The most sustainable international marketplace active in Europe is the American second-hand platform eBay. In second place is Redbubble, a platform that originated in Australia, and allows artists and designers to sell their creations worldwide. Third is Etsy, the well-known marketplace for handmade and vintage products. These are the results of research commissioned by Cross-Border Commerce Europe, the platform that stimulates cross-border e-commerce in Europe. The highest-scoring European marketplace on the list is bol.com, which ranks eighth.
Source: retaildetail.eu
US: Sunbasket evolves into full-service health-forward food delivery company
Sunbasket announced its reimagined identity as a full-service food delivery company, empowering every consumer to lead a healthy lifestyle. Expanding beyond the meal kit category, the brand has broadened its appeal to deliver an unparalleled selection of delicious, healthy foods for every dining occasion straight to consumers' doors nationwide - from breakfast, lunch and dinner to snacks, sides, proteins and an assortment of pantry staples.
Source: prnewswire.com
US: Trader Joe’s announces customer favorites
The Trader Joe’s fanatics voting in its annual Customer Choice Awards have selected a new overall favorite product: Trader Ming’s Mandarin Orange Chicken, a meal that’s been a popular dish at the retailer since it was introduced in 2004. Winner in the key category Favorite Produce: Teeny Tiny Avocados.
Source: storebrands.com
US: Costco buys land on San Antonio’s far West Side for new store and gas station
Costco Wholesale Corp. recently purchased land on the far West Side and is building a store and gas station in the fast-growing area, which is teeming with residential and retail development. The company acquired 16.44 acres between a Walmart Supercenter at the corner of Loop 1604 and Potranco Road and the Shops at Dove Creek stores, Bexar County deed records show.
Source: expressnews.com
Walmart U.S. to scale in-store fulfillment centres
Walmart is enlisting the help of robots to keep up with a surge in online orders. The company said it planned to build warehouses at its stores where self-driving robots will fetch groceries and have them ready for shoppers to pick up in an hour or less. Walmart declined to say how many of the warehouses it will build, but construction has started at stores in Lewisville, Texas; Plano, Texas; American Fork, Utah; and Bentonville, Arkansas, where Walmart’s corporate offices are based. A test site was opened more than a year ago at a store in Salem, New Hampshire.
Source: canadiangrocer.com